Ezekiel 23:22-35
December 20, 2023
Two Sister’s
Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I will stir up against you your lovers from whom you turned in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, governors, and commanders all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses. And they shall come against you from the north with chariots and wagons and a host of peoples. They shall set themselves against you on every side with buckler, shield, and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments. And I will direct my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured by fire. They shall also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels. Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and your whoring begun in the land of Egypt so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.
“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom you turned in disgust, and they shall deal with you in hatred and take away all the fruit of your labor and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your whoring shall be uncovered. Your lewdness and your whoring have brought this upon you because you played the whore with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. You have gone the way of your sister; therefore, I will give her cup into your hand. Thus says the Lord God: “You shall drink your sister's cup that is deep and large; you shall be laughed at and held in derision, for it contains much; you will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. A cup of horror and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria; you shall drink it and drain it out, and gnaw its shards, and tear your breasts; for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.”
We have two sisters Israel and Judah, first Israel went after the little gods of their neighbors, and God brought Judgment on them. Then Judah became more evil than Israel, and they are experiencing God’s wrath.
I sound like a broken record, but what about you, are you allowing this present darkness to dim the light that lives in you, in our nation, God spoke these words to Judah, are we not guilty of much the same? Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.”
It is time to be the light of the world, for it has lost its soul seeking the little gods that have no power to do anything. Matthew 5:16 gives us marching orders; “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” And the apostle Paul gives us this insight on how to do so. In Ephesians 5:8-10, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light for the fruit of the light[a] results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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